Strider V.S Hinderer!!! Your opinions and experiences

I will simply speak from MY experience, and mine only. To the OP. I too am an LEO. Full time all the time for 17 years. I have been through good and bad kit. I have developed a sense of what works and what doesn't work. I will tell you without hesitation, both companies are very capable of manufacturing fantastic knives. I don't know Mick, I do however know Dewayne. Not well, but I have been to the shop, toured it, met Dewayne. He was a stand up, solid guy. That is all I know about anything on Strider's ownership.

Again, speaking from experience and not hearsay, I have had three Striders. The ones I personally have had and owned have been fantastic knives. I currently have a SMF that is top shelf, put it with any other maker, great. It is CPM154. I run it at a 20* per side bevel, and I would carry it anywhere and never need anything else.

I also have ha Hinderers. Also great knives. I have purchased one through the direct route, and I have purchased others aftermarket. I wanted different steels, that is why I have purchased on the secondary market. Hinderers are also great. I have a sterile Spanto 3.5 in Duratech 20CV that is tough as can be. I would also carry it anywhere. All of my Hinderers have been great, and I have liked all at different times.

Point being: both knives can be great. I think if you get a good example of either knife, they will both carry you as far as you are willing to go with a folder. Both are rock solid, bombproof examples of what a folder can be.

I am speaking first hand experience, not "what I have heard."
Hope it helps a little. If the OP wants to P.M. Me I would be happy to talk about anything you want to know about SMF's and XM-18's that I have had or handled. :)
 
I know the OP asked about Strider vs. Hinderer. To be honest, I'd expand your view. I've owned both and can't really recommend either. For a great Hinderer design from a company with better customer service and a MUCH lower price point, check out the soon to be released ZT 0562CF. I've been able to play with one at Blade Show, and I really can't see any reason why to buy an XM-18 over the 0562CF. On the other end of the spectrum, for not much more money you could have a Curtiss F3 3.5". A true custom from a guy that will give you better customer service than Hinderer, and doesn't have Mick Strider's slimy reputation.
 
Ahhhh the price to pay when you enter mid tech. The jump to custom will be easier i promise.

Sebenza is probably the best choice overall for the price. However, I understand it lacks in the tactical aspects and might appear to be too "dressy". Have you considered the Umnumzaan? or a CF scaled Sebenza?

That being said, Hinderer, to me, is the obvious choice. You get F&F of a CR with the tactical-ness of that many need. The 2nd market price point is an issue though. For what you'll pay for a new Hinderer 2nd market you are on the border of paying for a full custom.

Strider makes a beast of a knife. You could literally shoot it with a rocket launcher and it would still last. Problem is often times, right of the box youre going to have issues with it. Then you have Mick's background issues. This might be a issue for you, it might not; that's for you to decide. For me, I can't get past it. But i don't knock my friends for getting one either.

Its a tough decision either way. Lets face it we dont all have $400 lying around to get a knife like this all the time, you want to make the "right" decision. My advice... try the Umnumzaan. Its a whole different animal from the Sebenza. If thats not your cup of tea and you decide that you want to do Hinderer ask yourself if you want to pay secondary market prices for a production/midtech, or are you ready to go custom. Greg Lightfoot, Kirby Lambert, Jeremy Robertson, Jason Clark all make knives at that price point. If you dont mind secondary market prices, get the Hinderer; enjoy the hell out of it. Just dont sit it in a safe :)

Good Luck with your decision
 
I carry a zt0561 sometimes and I love the flipping action on it. Very fast and crisp. When I finally had the chance to handle a 3.5in hinderer I was amazed at how crappy the flipping action was. So much so that I've decided to pass on this knife. People will tell you that this is the design of the knife...but I've found it to be a designs not suited to my needs. This is something to seriously consider when looking at a hinderer. I'm not saying a weak detent and lackluster flipping action is a bad thing (a lot of people like it/ don't mind it).... But since you asked about this knife, it is something to consider. Handle one, see what you think.
 
My experiences.

CRK- Haven't had an issue. Own 6 folders and 1 fixed. 1 negative is that I have cut up the inside of the sheath for the fixed blade trying to get the knife back in. Not a fan of the leather sheath for the Nyala.

Hinderer- Have owned 2. Sold both. Won't buy another unless bought directly from Hinderer at their asking prices.

Strider- Have owned 2. Currently own 1. Will not buy another Strider even if they were offering a standard SNG new for 300.

I bought my 2nd Strider SNG forgetting how much this thing is riddled with problems.

You really do not want to venture into the world of Strider after owning a Sebenza 25. I believe CRK has already given you the QC template that all knives must be judged by and it will not be pretty comparing that to a Strider.
 
I've tried a few of each.

I've had 3 XM 18s, all 3.5, two Spanto and one Warny, I sold all three. The warny flipped the best. All of them had very early lockup, and no issues with stickiness. The detent was too light for my liking on all three, you can adjust the pivot to where you can flip them but i prefer to use the thumb studs. I also find the choil unusable, it would cut me up to try to use it at all, so it's just wasted blade space for me. Spend some time on the Hinderer sub forum and see if that kind of thing is for you, it's not for me, just don't talk about detents... ...or price... ...or mods... ...or anything remotely negative.

I've had 2 SMFs, 2 SNGs, and briefly a PT which I found too small and sent back, I still have 1 SMF and 2 SNGs. I'm a big fan of the SNG, it's light for it's size, simple, fits me well, and I like the looks of it. I find Strider's choil comortable to use and I don't risk cutting my finger like on the Hinderer. I'm not in love with my newest SNG which I've had since late last year, the 3/4 hollow grind blade is not my favorite. I'd like replace it with a different SNG but they are hard to find right now.

I would like to try a Sebenza 25. I find them a little plain looking but I'd like to use one and see what all the hub-bub is about. I had a small Starbenza briefly but it was too small and like trying to hold onto a bar of soap.

I have owned and sold a ZT 561, it was nice but a bit big and I'm just not a flipper fan. I also have a ZT 550 which is possibly my favorite knife of all time. I won't be buying anymore ZTs however but that's another topic.
 
I can throw in my 2 objective cents, at least between Hinderer and CRK, which you'd be comparing it to. I have no experience with Strider, but they have always intrigued me and find myself wanting to try out a SNG or PT. I currently own 2 CRK's, large and small 21, and in the past have had the Umnumzaan and the 25, all outstanding. Let the latter 2 go because they were a little much for my everyday needs. If money was no issue, I'd have all of them. They're regarded as a f/f benchmark for a reason.

I have a 3" XM in my possession currently to evaluate as I've been mulling getting one to EDC, and my good friend recently received his brand new, from the factory 3.5" XM. Both very robust knives with great f/f. The 3" I have is a Spanto, but would strongly prefer the Slicer in this size. I'm not a big fan of flippers to start with, and the flipping action on both I handled is just about useless unless gravity is assisting you, or either you get your technique just right. I'm personally not a fan of how the flipper digs into my index finger on the 3" when the blade is locked open, and still don't really like it being there on the 3.5". The choil would cut me up if I tried to use it. I understand the flipper doubling as a finger guard, but I don't do very much stabbing, and if I do, all my other non-flippers work just fine guarding my fingers. My friend's 3.5" detent is very weak, and the blade will shake out easily. He almost cut himself pulling it out of his pocket the first day he had it. The 3" detent is stronger, and the blade does not shake out.

Another thing that I'm not a fan of is both knives have the earliest lockup of any $50+ knife I've ever handled, at about 5%. Designed this way, yes, but a design that does not work for me. The combination of this and factors above has led me to cool on the XM for now as I try to pick and choose my high end knife purchases as wisely as I can. Again, this is all personal preference.

It's hard to compare the XM to the Sebenza because they're just so different. A 3" small 21 has nothing in common with a 3" XM except their price point, and I feel the Hinderer is reasonably priced at the factory pricing, but I don't really understand why the 3" is priced equally to the 3.5" as I feel the much better value is in the latter, just a lot more knife for the money there. I wish I could add something for you on Striders, but there's plenty of info here on them, and I'm curious about them as well.
 
ElConquistador said:
Spend some time on the Hinderer sub forum and see if that kind of thing is for you, it's not for me, just don't talk about detents... ...or price... ...or mods... ...or anything remotely negative.
Click to expand...

That right there nails it for me. I really like my 3.5" XM-18 (modded of course) and my XM-24 flips about as well as you can expect for a Hinderer. But for all the talk of being the best production knives available, unbeatable customer service, etc they sure do love to censor anything negative that comes up. Think of it as a big happy commercial for RHK more than an actual forum for discussion.

Shooting you a PM ElConquistador.
 
I would whole heartedly recommend the strider. I am a retired police officer and carried a Strider for years. It was bullet proof, excuse the pun! I actually met Mick Strider and he guarantees his knives 100%,if you break it, even the blade, he replaces it. The end no questions.
 
I would take a Hinderer over a Strider any day of the week. I paid secondary market pricing for my Hinderer (along with the cost of a Ti handle slab) and I would pay the same again if I lost it right now. It is hands down the best workhorse knife I've ever handled. I actually just got back from 2 weeks camping in Wyoming with the Hinderer as my only knife, and oddly enough I didn't miss any of my other knives :eek:

I also find the flipping action to be great, I know I've shared this before but here's a video that shows how well the Hinderer flips.

[video=youtube;cfT_Gezckiw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfT_Gezckiw[/video]
 
That's what is great about this forum differing opinions given in the spirit of knowledge. I appreciate your opinion!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top